The Light in the Tunnel
by These Trees Rule
Summary: Will some good finally come out of the Dursely's beatings? And what does Malfoy have to do with anything? Set after fifth year. Romance will be a back burner. Rated M for abuse.


WARNING-THIS CHAPTER HAS ABUSE IN IT.

DISLCAIMER- I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER, JUST THE THINGS I PUT HIM THROUGH.

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Harry cried out in pain as he felt his uncle's fist connect with his jaw. He fell back into the glass table and felt all the shards stab viciously into his back. The last image he saw before he blacked out was of his aunt and cousin leering at him from their vantage point on the stairs. Then all was black.

That's how it was every summer, every week. Beaten, and then starved. He only ever got enough food to keep him alive. Every year the beatings got worse. After his first year, it was just the occasional hit over the head, maybe a few skipped meals. In his second summer, he was fed better, but the beatings were worse. When he had blown up Aunt Marge, that had been the worse. Until now.

The Dursley's seemed to realize that this was their chance to terrorize Harry. With Sirius dead, Harry no longer had any protection. While he still had to write to the Order, the Dursley's read what he was writing, and if it so much as hinted at getting beat, they beat him and then made him rewrite it.

In fact, Harry realized as he woke, they had set a new record. He'd only been in the house long enough to put his stuff in his room before Vernon had dragged him into the living room.

Everything hurt. His head throbbed so thoroughly that he could hardly think, his back stung and he could still feel the glass shards digging into his skin. His arms and hands hurt from trying to deflect all the blows that his uncle had dealt him. His legs felt like Jell-O, and it hurt to breath. Harry realized that he must have at least two broken ribs. Now, as he pondered how to get out of his situation, a single piece of bread came in through the cat flap. As he got up to get it, his legs went out and he was forced to crawl over to it. After eating, he crawled onto his bed and felt into a restless slumber.

This went on the entire summer break. The escalating point was when he asked if they could go to Diagon Alley to get his school supplies. For a week Harry couldn't move. But nonetheless, the next Saturday found them wandering the streets of Diagon Alley. Everything was going well, until Harry meekly suggested that they get some ice-cream. Vernon Dursely dragged him into the nearest empty bathroom.

"HOW—DARE—YOU!" Each word was punctuated by a punch. "TRYING TO DELAY US SO THAT ONE OF YOUR MONGREL FRIENDS CAN COME SAVE YOU? NOT HIS TIME!" And Vernon Dursely proceeded to beat his nephew. He made one mistake though.

He didn't notice Draco Malfoy walk into the bathroom. Draco witnessed the entire scene, before running out of the bathroom.

After Harry was thoroughly punished, in Vernon's opinion, the Dursely's continued on home.

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Draco Malfoy was troubled for the rest of the day. His life was shattering before his eyes. Firstly, his father had been sent away to Azkaban, although Draco didn't mind that so much. His father had never been much of a fatherly figure.

Secondly, his mother was slowly losing control of her life. Constantly crying, she would shut herself in her room for days at a time, before coming out and yelling at everyone in the house.

Thirdly, Draco himself was going through problems. After his family had fallen from grace, so to speak, all his friends had deserted him. As he reflected, he supposed he deserved it. He had only ever treated them with contempt, always treating them like it was a gift to be in his presence. That little piece of information did not help the pain he felt. He was completely isolated, no owls, no visits.

And now, to top it all off, he realized that his arch enemy wasn't the pampered little prince everyone thought he was. Everything that Malfoy thought he hated about Harry had been a lie. That he could tell from the little bit of home life he had witnessed.

He continued to pace his room, his normally cunning mind at a loss for what to do. His thoughts inevitably turned to the future, as they always did lately. While he couldn't wait to get away from his demented mother, he knew Hogwarts would be no better. He knew that his fellow Slytherins would shun him. It was times like this that he wished he had been sorted into a different house.

Draco stopped. His mind started whirling away again. A slow smile crept across his face as a plan started to form in his mind.

He walked out of his, he always thought better when he was in the park across the street. As he sat there, deep in thought, he didn't notice a pretty girl walk up to him. When she coughed, he looked up, surprised. He knew she must be a witch, because this was a magical neighborhood.

She was very tall, only a few inches shorter that Malfoy himself, and towered at 6' 4". She had long blonde hair, almost to her waist, which shimmered in the sunlight. She had a dazzling smile, which was now directed at Draco in a friendly manner. She was thin, but looked like she had some muscle on her too. But what most astonished Draco where her eyes. They were purple.

"Hi Draco, I'm Evangeline, Evy for short. I'm in Ravenclaw."

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A/N-Very dark beginning, I know. This story will not be for the faint of heart. Sorry it's so short; I'll try to make the chapters after this longer. I would greatly appreciate it if you would review, as that makes my day. Hope you liked it!


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